Fire Burns 13 Acres Along California Highway 101

Oct. 15, 2004
A fire that began beside northbound Highway 101 south of Atascadero on Thursday afternoon raced across 13 acres of grass and burned into several back yards along Morningside Drive.
ATASCADERO, CA -- A fire that began beside northbound Highway 101 south of Atascadero on Thursday afternoon raced across 13 acres of grass and burned into several back yards along Morningside Drive.

No homes burned, but several fences, woodpiles and "a lot of hay" were damaged, said Clint Bullard, a fire prevention specialist with CDF/County Fire.

The fire was reported at 3:18 p.m. and began as a result of an equipment failure -- perhaps a piece of metal that fell from a vehicle or a blowout from a tire, CDF Battalion Chief Mike Abarca said. He said authorities found a significant amount of debris beside the freeway.

"The wind was really howling out there," Abarca said. "Had it been anywhere else, we would have had our hands full."

He noted that adequate brush clearance around homes, grazing by livestock and efforts by those living along the street helped knock the fire down quickly.

Firefighters arrived to find several neighbors using garden hoses to keep their homes and yards wet.

The fire was surrounded shortly after 4 p.m.

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